What happened
On 11 March 1996, a Piper PA2AT Aztec, registration G-JTCA, landed at De Kooy Airport in Den Helder, Netherlands, after a flight from Norwich, UK. The landing on runway 04 was initially reported as normal, with the pilot using standard braking to reduce the aircraft to walking speed.
As the aircraft reached the end of the runway, the pilot attempted to steer right to prepare for a left turn to backtrack the runway. During this maneuver, the pilot applied full left rudder and adjusted the engine power, leaving the left engine at idle while slightly increasing power on the right engine. Approximately 30 degrees into the turn, the fork assembly of the left main landing gear failed. This caused the aircraft to lurch sharply to the left, resulting in an accelerated turn until the aircraft came to a stop. There were no injuries among the one pilot and five passengers on board.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the structural failure of the left main landing gear. Technical analysis of the fracture surfaces was conducted by the KLM Engineering Department. The examination of the broken left main gear revealed that the failure originated in the collar attached to the oleostrut.
Investigators examined the bolt holes within the forged aluminum alloy collar, which contained two holes designed to support a steel bolt. The analysis identified significant pitting and cracking patterns within these bores.